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Topic: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?
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bayareabadger · « **Reply #42 on:** February 04, 2019, 06:44:25 PM »

Quote from: SFBadger96 on February 04, 2019, 06:19:18 PM

Wisconsin hasn't won any national championships in football, so I'll stick to non-conference champions.

The 2005 Badger team that beat Auburn in the Capital One Bowl. The Badgers had a shot at winning the conference title, but consecutive losses against two very good teams, at Penn State and against Iowa, at the end of the season ended that dream (Penn State played in the Rose Bowl; Iowa beat Florida in the Outback). That left the Badgers deep underdogs to Auburn, a team that itself just missed the SEC championship game after an OT loss to a very good LSU team (which lost the SEC championship game and crushed #9 Miami in the Peach Bowl).

This was John Stocco's junior year and Brian Calhoun's only season for the Badgers. Joe Thomas was a junior, and Owen Daniels was a senior. Calhoun was as exciting a Badger to watch as any I can remember--not the best, but fun to watch.

This was Alvarez's last team, and Paul Chryst was the OC. This was at the peak of the "the Big Ten can't hang with SEC speed" years, and Wisconsin was given "no chance" against the mighty Auburn Tigers.

There were no unforgivable losses on the season (though the 51-48 loss at Northwestern was tough to take), and the Badgers won one of the more memorable games against Minnesota, with Jonathan Casillas blocking a punt then recovering it in the end zone for a last-minute win (same day as the Bush-Push and Michigan's last-second win over Penn State: http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/110482/why-oct-15-2005-was-the-wildest-day-in-college-football-this-century).

Then there was the upset win over Auburn. It wasn't a blowout, but it was decisive, with John Stocco taking a knee in the red zone for the 14-point win. What I remember most about it was Chryst's inside screens to tight ends and wide receivers (Daniels and Orr) for big chunks of yards.

It was also the first Wisconsin win over an SEC team in a bowl game (and the Badgers lost to Georgia to end 2004 and Auburn to end 2003; the Badgers were 0-4 against the SEC in bowl games; they are 3-2 since).

Was thinking that team and 2009. Also can’t forget Brandon Williams being a beast

ALA2262 · « **Reply #43 on:** February 04, 2019, 07:01:05 PM »

2010 Bama. SEC office killed this team with the 6 byes. Lost 3 of the 6 games. Played the entire season uphill on an uneven playing field. Debatably Saban's most talented team with TWELVE first round draft choices. Ref who did the Cap One Bowl against Michigan State was quoted as saying it was the best CFB team he had ever seen. As an 18 year veteran of the Big 8/12, he had done 1995 Nebraska games.

OrangeAfroMan · « **Reply #44 on:** February 04, 2019, 09:08:49 PM »

That Bama team reminded me of the '94 Gators, who were preseason #1. But ended the year with the "Choke at Doak". Lost the game (in a tie), like Bama lost to eventual NC Auburn, but was good enough to get that big lead, 31-3 (24-0 for Bama).

CWSooner · « **Reply #45 on:** February 04, 2019, 11:30:07 PM »

I sure liked the '62 Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl against USC, but USC came back to win.

It's hard for me to pick out favorite teams that I wasn't rooting for, so I'll stay close to home and say the 1967 Oklahoma Sooners.

They were Chuck Fairbanks' first team, and they were very good. Wins over Wazu (21-0) and Maryland (35-0) to open the season, then lost 9-7 to Texas in a game in which the usually reliable kicker missed 3 makeable FGs. Won the rest to finish as Big 8 champs and a trip to the Orange Bowl--#3 OU vs. #2 Tennessee. The game was as close as the rankings, but Tennessee missed what would have been the game-winning FG with 7 seconds left and OU won 24-26.

Sr. OT Bob Kalsu led a gritty offensive line. He went on to get drafted by the Buffalo Bills, and I believe he was the team rookie of the year. He then entered the Army to meet his commitment from ROTC and he became the only active professional athlete to be killed in Vietnam.

rolltidefan · « **Reply #46 on:** February 05, 2019, 11:39:08 AM »

Quote from: Kris60 on February 04, 2019, 02:19:43 PM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJZFzdjjN5o

Oh my God, you guys are breaking my heart with this Vick love. Take 5 minutes and acquaint (or maybe reacquaint) yourself with a Mountaineer legend.

Pardon the production value. School produced highlight videos in the 80s? Yeah, they weren’t great. Lol.

another wvu gem is the pat white and slaton teams. those were fun to watch.

rolltidefan · « **Reply #47 on:** February 05, 2019, 11:46:41 AM »

Quote from: ALA2262 on February 04, 2019, 07:01:05 PM

2010 Bama. SEC office killed this team with the 6 byes. Lost 3 of the 6 games. Played the entire season uphill on an uneven playing field. Debatably Saban's most talented team with TWELVE first round draft choices. Ref who did the Cap One Bowl against Michigan State was quoted as saying it was the best CFB team he had ever seen. As an 18 year veteran of the Big 8/12, he had done 1995 Nebraska games.

the byes didn't help, for sure, but i can't blame that season on those. that team, while arguably the most talented that year and maybe ever for bama, was unfocused and to injured throughout the season.
the byes didn't effect us in the usce loss. playing @ #10 arky, vs #7 uf the 2 weeks before probably did more.
and for the au loss, anytime you're up 24 and lose, you deserved it. so much fluky stuff happened in that game, though.
lsu game might have been byes. but lsu was a top 10 team and it was @ lsu, so not like it was a crazy upset. same with au and usce. that was just a tough schedule all around. usce, arky, lsu, au, msu were all top 25 teams, also played uf and psu.

SFBadger96 · « **Reply #48 on:** February 05, 2019, 12:04:55 PM »

Quote from: CWSooner on February 04, 2019, 11:30:07 PM

I sure liked the '62 Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl against USC, but USC came back to win.

One of the more mis-remembered games in Badger lore. USC had a huge lead and extended it to 42-14 in the 4th quarter (42-14) before the Badgers came storming back with 23 unanswered points, closing the gap to 42-37. The Badgers forced one final punt and, having already forced a safety on one fumbled punt attempt, narrowly missed blocking the last one as time expired. A buddy of mine's dad, Elmars Ezerins, was the player who had the chance at the block.
This is a quote from Pat Richter's Biography:

Quote

They accomplished their task handsomely--they made Wisconsin proud--and they provided a valuable lesson for everyday life: Never quit trying while there is a chance to reach your goal...Staring humiliation square in the face, they battled until they won everyone's admiration and respect...They played their hearts out and lost the game but they captured the hearts and praise of their fans...
Over time, it became clear that the 1963 Rose Bowl was not just a moment that Badger fans cherished. It was a game that was a treat to watch for the millions of television viewers.
"Most people looked at is as an entertainment event instead of who won and who lost," said Richter. "Ron and I left the next day to go to the Hula Bowl and we were guests on a local TV show there with a couple of USC players. And all the people could talk about was this great comeback by Wisconsin. At some point, the USC guys said, 'Hey, wait a minute. We won the game!"

Kris60 · « **Reply #49 on:** February 05, 2019, 12:06:08 PM »

Quote from: rolltidefan on February 05, 2019, 11:39:08 AM

another wvu gem is the pat white and slaton teams. those were fun to watch.

Yeah, they were. My point was Vick wasn’t the first of his kind. He may have been the best version of it, but he didn’t pioneer it. What set Vick apart in my eyes was his speed. Not only was he the fastest QB I had ever seen but, to this day, he might be the fastest player I’ve ever seen. I just didn’t think he revolutionized the position. The dual threat QB had been around a while but no one ever had that speed before (or since).

rolltidefan · « **Reply #50 on:** February 05, 2019, 01:04:48 PM »

vick's quickness was more important than his speed.

he was blazing, don't get me wrong, but so was young, white, cam, pryor, johnny football, etc.

but his quickness to change direction was elite for any position. only qb off top of my head that comes close is probably kyler murray. his quickness was more a threat than his outright speed. he'd go from standing tall in pocket to a full sprint in a flash and be 5 yds downfield before anyone else registered he left pocket. vick was that way too.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #51 on:** February 05, 2019, 03:43:43 PM »

Did y'all see where Bolt ran an informal 4.22 at the Super Bowl?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2818947-watch-usain-bolt-tie-nfl-combine-40-yard-dash-record-at-422-seconds

He slowed up near the end because there was not enough run out space.

OrangeAfroMan · « **Reply #52 on:** February 05, 2019, 05:10:59 PM »

I thought the thing that set Vick apart was the frozen ropes he could throw, even deep. Scorching line drives being spat out from his hand...option QBs have always been fast, but they were normally lobbing the ball deep to a TE or, more recently, some tall WRs, etc. Vick looked like he threw a football 90 mph, not a guy who could throw a baseball 90 mph and happened to play QB.

ELA · « **Reply #53 on:** February 05, 2019, 05:17:17 PM »

Quote from: OrangeAfroMan on February 05, 2019, 05:10:59 PM

I thought the thing that set Vick apart was the frozen ropes he could throw, even deep. Scorching line drives being spat out from his hand...option QBs have always been fast, but they were normally lobbing the ball deep to a TE or, more recently, some tall WRs, etc. Vick looked like he threw a football 90 mph, not a guy who could throw a baseball 90 mph and happened to play QB.

Yeah, that was my point. He's the only guy that if you just took his arm, and put it on a statue, that's still a damn good QB; and if you took his legs and put them on a guy who couldn't throw, he'd still be a good QB. Russell Wilson is probably the closest off the top of my head, those two guys would still have been NFL QBs even without being athletic, and were athletic enough to be good college QBs without the arm.

ALA2262 · « **Reply #54 on:** February 05, 2019, 05:54:37 PM »

Quote from: rolltidefan on February 05, 2019, 11:46:41 AM

the byes didn't help, for sure, but i can't blame that season on those. that team, while arguably the most talented that year and maybe ever for bama, was unfocused and to injured throughout the season.
the byes didn't effect us in the usce loss. playing @ #10 arky, vs #7 uf the 2 weeks before probably did more.
and for the au loss, anytime you're up 24 and lose, you deserved it. so much fluky stuff happened in that game, though.
lsu game might have been byes. but lsu was a top 10 team and it was @ lsu, so not like it was a crazy upset. same with au and usce. that was just a tough schedule all around. usce, arky, lsu, au, msu were all top 25 teams, also played uf and psu.

You need to rethink the USC loss. Steve Spurrier getting another week to prepare for Bama and the USC players getting an extra week of rest and healing time while Bama was playing @ #10 ARK and vs #7 UF, had EVERYTHING to do with the loss.

Kris60 · « **Reply #55 on:** February 05, 2019, 07:23:11 PM »

Quote from: OrangeAfroMan on February 05, 2019, 05:10:59 PM

I thought the thing that set Vick apart was the frozen ropes he could throw, even deep. Scorching line drives being spat out from his hand...option QBs have always been fast, but they were normally lobbing the ball deep to a TE or, more recently, some tall WRs, etc. Vick looked like he threw a football 90 mph, not a guy who could throw a baseball 90 mph and happened to play QB.

See, I think Major’s arm was was right there with Vick. He had a cannon. A couple of the throws on that highlight reel show that. Physically, he was a NFL QB. Mentally, I don’t think he was and the NFL at that time just wasn’t welcoming to dual threat guys.
And I still see Vick’s differentiating characteristic as his speed. I think guys like Major and Tommie Frazier had the same elusiveness and quick twitch, in a crowd, escapability. But when Vick tried to turn a corner he turned the corner on someone. He outran angles.

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Topic: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

bayareabadger

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

ALA2262

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

OrangeAfroMan

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

CWSooner

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

rolltidefan

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

rolltidefan

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

SFBadger96

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

Kris60

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

rolltidefan

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

Cincydawg

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

OrangeAfroMan

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

ELA

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

ALA2262

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?

Kris60

Re: What are some of your favorite non-championship teams?